{"id":967,"date":"2014-06-08T11:04:46","date_gmt":"2014-06-07T23:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/csidemedia.com\/gryphonclerks\/?page_id=967"},"modified":"2014-06-08T11:13:38","modified_gmt":"2014-06-07T23:13:38","slug":"sample-realmgolds","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/csidemedia.com\/gryphonclerks\/sample-realmgolds\/","title":{"rendered":"Sample: Realmgolds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Realmgolds-CoverDesign_1024h\"<\/a>The young man seated at the heavy old desk sighed and let a sheaf of papers drop to the desk\u2019s cluttered surface. It was a report on the Human Purity movement and its leader, Admirable Silverstones, the Countygold of Upper Hills. Its contents gathered his forehead into a frown.
\nThe light was fading, and the stone-floored room, always chilly, edged toward cold. He reached over and touched the sigil on the base of the brass desk lamp, which released its cool illumination into the room as he muttered the Dwarvish word for light. Then he spoke the spell which adjusted the tall black iron warming columns set on either side of his chair. Like most of the other furniture in the room, they were old. He smelled the scent of toasting linen from his shirtsleeve, and adjusted them back down again. His feet resumed freezing, despite two pairs of socks.
\nConcentrating on the devices, he barely heard a tentative tap at the door.
\n\u201cYes, Reliable?\u201d he called out.
\nHis secretary, Reliable Chandler, poked his rabbitlike face around the door.
\n\u201cYour pardon, Realmgold,\u201d he said, addressing his master by his title. \u201cDid you intend to join your Provincegolds in their quarterly meeting tonight?\u201d
\n\u201cHave I been invited this time?\u201d
\nThe secretary dropped his eyes, and coloured. \u201cAh, not as such, Realmgold. But as it is being held here in Lakeside Koslin this quarter\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cQuite. When is it?\u201d
\n\u201cAccording to the minutes of the last meeting,\u201d said the secretary, advancing into the room with a piece of paper, \u201cat the twelfth deep bell.\u201d He placed the paper on the desk, his finger indicating the information at the bottom.
\nThe young Realmgold, whose given name was Determined, narrowed his eyes when he noticed that the last, and uncompleted, item on the previous agenda was the Human Purity movement. He glanced at the elaborate dwarfmade clock in the corner. \u201cThat gives me time to read these minutes, then.\u201d He flipped the paper over to begin on the first side.
\nThe secretary coughed. \u201cAnd might I suggest a fresh shirt, Realmgold?\u201d
\nDetermined glanced down at his ruffled cuffs, marked with ink-splatters and dust. \u201cYou may. Have one brought down. And my green coat. If it\u2019s this cold inside, I hate to think what it\u2019s like in the street.\u201d<\/p>\n

The way out led through the Realmgolds\u2019 Gallery, and Determined frowned up at the larger-than-life-size portraits of his predecessors. Studying history at the College of Ancient Turfrae, he\u2019d experienced an odd double awareness of them as both historical figures and his own ancestors. He could trace every mistake they\u2019d made, every unwise compromise or concession, and the reasons, good and bad. He gave a special glare to his great-great-grandmother, inappropriately named Prudence, who had put the Provincegolds in charge of collecting (and reporting) the realmtax in their provinces and accelerated the loss of power and influence of the office of Realmgold.
\n\u201cAnd so here I am today,\u201d he muttered to himself.
\n\u201cBeg pardon, Realmgold?\u201d said Reliable.
\n\u201cNothing,\u201d said Determined.<\/p>\n

The Provincegold Lake had a town house almost opposite the Realmgold\u2019s palace. As Determined strode across the street, his footfalls rang off the cobbles, the echoes muted by the decorative vines growing up the walls of both buildings. With Reliable trailing a step behind and to the right, he marched up the marble steps to Lake\u2019s door.
\nA retainer in the Provincegold\u2019s livery stepped forward as if to stop him, but Determined simply met his gaze with raised eyebrows and kept on walking. The man stepped back, raising his hands in an \u201cI\u2019m not getting involved\u201d gesture.
\nA grey-haired man in a long blue coat, attended by a young woman in a similar coat tailored for her much slimmer figure, were making their way up the internal staircase. The woman heard Determined\u2019s footsteps, echoed by the lighter and more tentative steps of his secretary, and glanced behind her. He recognised Courtesy Hollowtrees of Westcoast, accompanying her father, the Provincegold Westcoast. She turned back around without giving him so much as a nod.
\nHis few conversations with Courtesy had only demonstrated that they had nothing in common, but that stung nevertheless.
\nHe was right behind them when they entered the tea room at the top of the stairs, and gave his best aristocratic glare to the retainer on the door, who, like his colleague downstairs, didn\u2019t quite dare to stop the Realmgold.
\nThere were, of course, only enough chairs for the Provincegolds and their invited guests, mostly heirs, advisors or secretaries. The hostess, Felicity Lake, took in the Realmgold\u2019s presence without visible emotion and signalled the retainer to fetch two more seats.
\nWhen tea had been served and sipped and little spiced cakes had been sampled, the Provincegold Lake set down her delicate teacup and leaned back as a sign that business could now be discussed. The others ceased their conversations \u2014 none of which were with Determined \u2014 and turned their heads toward her.
\n\u201cAt our last meeting, we were speaking,\u201d she said in her languid style, \u201cof Human Purity.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd I was saying,\u201d said gruff Westcoast, \u201cthat you want to keep an eye on your lad there.\u201d The county of Upper Hills, Silverstones\u2019 demesne, lay within the Province of Lake.
\n\u201cYou oppose his philosophy?\u201d said Tenacious Northriver, throwing his head back and staring at the older man with his hands on his hips. His nostrils flared.
\n\u201cNot at all,\u201d said Westcoast. \u201cI disapprove, however, of letting one\u2019s Countygolds build up too much of a following.\u201d
\nThis brought wise nods from around the room.
\n\u201cWho says I\u2019m not controlling him from behind the scenes?\u201d said Lake.
\n\u201cAre you?\u201d asked Northriver, forehead wrinkled. Northriver tended to need things explained.
\nLake didn\u2019t answer, just gave him a bland look.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s not just your province that\u2019s affected, though,\u201d said Thousand Hills, a tremulous, querulous older woman. \u201cThe dwarves in my province have come to me asking what I\u2019m doing about protecting them and their assets. There\u2019s a lot of mining in Thousand Hills, you know.\u201d
\nEveryone was well aware of the mining in Thousand Hills.
\n\u201cWhat did you tell them?\u201d asked Westcoast.
\n\u201cI said I\u2019d study the matter, of course,\u201d she said. There were more nods. This was a reliable stall.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t see the problem,\u201d said Northriver. \u201cThey\u2019re not doing anything wrong. They\u2019re allowed their opinions under the Code of Willing.\u201d
\n\u201cThey\u2019re allowed their own religious and philosophical opinions,\u201d Determined said. \u201cPolitical opinions are another matter.\u201d He had tried to hold himself back from speaking, but he couldn\u2019t let that one go. He had studied the ancient Code of Willing, the foundation of all human law, intensively while at the College of Ancient Turfrae.
\nNobody took up his point.
\n\u201cTheir philosophy gives the disaffected and the underemployed among the Copper class something to do with their excess energy,\u201d said Southcliffs, a middle-aged man with a weatherbeaten face. \u201cI don\u2019t see the harm.\u201d
\n\u201cEasy for you to say,\u201d quavered Thousand Hills. \u201cPlenty to do already in your province.\u201d
\n\u201cNo fault of mine that your hills don\u2019t grow much grain,\u201d snapped Southcliffs. \u201cMost of the troublemakers I do have come down over the border looking for work I don\u2019t have.\u201d
\nThe discussion dissolved into a rehearsal of grievances going back three generations between the two neighbouring provinces, and it took some time for Lake to bring it back on track.
\n\u201cWe were discussing,\u201d she said, \u201cHuman Purity.\u201d By her standards, she spoke emphatically. \u201cAnd Consolation, I get plenty of your people too, by the way. Hard workers, as a general thing.\u201d Thousand Hills preened at the small, if backhanded, compliment, and shot a glare at Southcliffs, but stopped complaining.
\n\u201cPerhaps,\u201d said Beauty Six Gorges, the only provincegold who had not so far spoken, \u201cwe should talk about why there are so many disaffected people in the first place.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s Koskant\u2019s fault,\u201d said Southcliffs immediately. \u201cIf they didn\u2019t have the gulf trade locked up\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cFailing crops\u2026\u201d put in Thousand Hills.
\n\u201cGreedy Nine-cursed dwarves,\u201d said Northriver. \u201cAnd those centaurs across my river\u2026\u201d
\nOne by one, each provincegold managed to find a reason why it wasn\u2019t his or her fault that the people weren\u2019t prosperous. Six Gorges listened patiently, swivelling her head from one speaker to the next. As her eyes passed across Determined\u2019s, she twitched one eyelid very slightly at exactly the moment that their gazes met, and despite his distress at the way the meeting was going, he had to purse his lips to keep from smiling.
\nWhen the litany of complaint subsided, Six Gorges said, \u201cI think it\u2019s wonderful that you\u2019ve all done so much to overcome the problems your people face, so that only factors beyond your control are left. Truly, wonderful. So I suppose the only question left to ask is, do we take a joint position on this Human Purity movement, or do we\u2026 study the matter further and deal with it individually?\u201d
\nShe habitually kept her face still, presumably to keep from cracking her makeup, and her voice was carefully modulated, so most of the provincegolds missed the sarcasm, Determined thought. Northriver certainly would have, but Northriver would miss being hit with a sack of rocks. Lake, he thought, would have got it, but her expression didn\u2019t change either as she resumed control of the meeting.
\n\u201cThank you, Beauty, that is exactly the question before us. Let us have the sense of the meeting now, and if we decide for a joint response we can talk about what that will be afterwards. In order of seniority, then. Consolation?\u201d
\n\u201cIndividually,\u201d said Thousand Hills. \u201cWe all have very different problems in our provinces, after all.\u201d
\nLake turned to Westcoast, the next oldest, with a questioning look. He also voted for an individual response.
\nSo did Southcliffs. \u201cLet\u2019s see,\u201d Lake said, \u201cwho\u2019s next?\u201d She turned to Six Gorges. \u201cBeauty?\u201d
\nClaws of the cat, thought Determined. The two women were about the same age, but Lake looked several years older.
\n\u201cOh, is it me?\u201d said Six Gorges. \u201cI forget you\u2019re a little younger, Felicity. For what it\u2019s worth, I think we should have a joint response, but I fear I\u2019m already outvoted.\u201d
\nLake merely nodded, and voted individual. Predictably, so did Northriver, the youngest of the six.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s settled, then,\u201d said Lake. \u201cWe each make our own response, though we keep the option open to discuss a joint position at our next meeting. Which is in your province, I believe, Tenacious.\u201d
\nNorthriver nodded, drawing himself up self-importantly. \u201cYes, I look forward to seeing you there in a quarter of a year,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cVery good,\u201d said Lake. \u201cAs usual, all of you are invited to dine. Oh, Determined, I\u2019m sorry, dear, I didn\u2019t expect you, so I haven\u2019t catered accordingly.\u201d
\nThis was a flimsy and transparent excuse to exclude him from the meal, where, no doubt, the real business of the evening would be transacted. Years of training not to make a scene overruled the familiar angry helplessness stinging behind his eyes.
\n\u201cNo apology necessary, Lake,\u201d he said, using her name of affiliation rather than her personal name to emphasise the distance between them, but not referencing her title since she hadn\u2019t used his. He bowed the merest inch. \u201cI am well suited across the street. Come, Reliable.\u201d
\nShe bowed back, just detectably lower, and removed her attention from him entirely. Nobody else paid him any either, except Six Gorges, who also bowed to him as he passed. He leaned close, covered by the hubbub of conversation, and whispered, \u201cI\u2019d like to talk.\u201d
\n\u201cSixth bell,\u201d she whispered back, and he nodded and left the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Determined remarked to Reliable, as they crossed the darkened street, \u201cthat was a scintillating evening filled with valuable progress.\u201d
\nThe little secretary didn\u2019t comment.<\/p>\n\n

Buy Realmgolds<\/em> here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The young man seated at the heavy old desk sighed and let a sheaf of papers drop to the desk\u2019s cluttered surface. It was a report on the Human Purity movement and its leader, Admirable Silverstones, the Countygold of Upper … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"content-type":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/csidemedia.com\/gryphonclerks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/967"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/csidemedia.com\/gryphonclerks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/csidemedia.com\/gryphonclerks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/csidemedia.com\/gryphonclerks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/csidemedia.com\/gryphonclerks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=967"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/csidemedia.com\/gryphonclerks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":975,"href":"http:\/\/csidemedia.com\/gryphonclerks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/967\/revisions\/975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/csidemedia.com\/gryphonclerks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}